Bright-Line Rule

Definition - What does Bright-Line Rule mean?

A bright-line rule is a rule that is made by a court to eliminate ambiguity for certain laws or issues.

Bright-line rules clarify things for attorneys, defendants, plaintiffs, judges and juries. The reason they exist is because sometimes stipulations of a law can be left open to interpretation, and thus unclear. Bright-line rules attempt to make things clear.

Justipedia explains Bright-Line Rule

There are a number of different laws that could have a bright-line rule associated with them. For example, a law about age discrimination could have a bright-line rule saying that the employee who replaces the fired employee must be at least five years younger for the age discrimination to be legitimate.

Bright-line rules can appear in both civil and criminal law. If a bright-line rule exists, then all parties involved in the lawsuit will have to adhere to its terms.